Boilers heat water to make steam. Steam is used to heat buildings (via radiators) and it’s also used to make power via steam turbines. High pressure steam performs the mechanical work that turns steam turbines. Every power plant (from large utilities to smaller co-gen plants in universities, hospitals or industrial buildings) has an optimal steam velocity for its process. Water can flow through piping at velocities of 15 to 25 feet/second – but steam line velocities can range as high as 400 feet/second. The boiler feed pump is the heart of the process, because it keeps water flowing into the...